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Iraq

October 3, 2026

Baghdad 4:28 pm

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Members of Iraq's Hashed al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilization) paramilitary forces stand guard during an election rally for the "Asaib Ahl al-Haq" movement in the capital Baghdad, on October 7, 2021.

Analysis

After US exit, Iran gains space in Iraq and a harder balancing act

For Iran, the easier part may have been getting Washington out, but it may now have to struggle turning the absence into durable influence and reviving its allied militias without provoking instability.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

US President Donald Trump meets Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa (L) on the sidelines of the NATO Summit at Bestepe Presidential Compound in Ankara, on July 8, 2026.

Trump’s integration policies build on Gulf, Turkey ties and Syria success

Iran’s influence, and the potential for renewed conflict, complicate progress in Iraq.

An Airbus A321 airliner arrives at the Mehrabad international airport during the delivery of the first batch of planes to the Iranian state airline Iran Air in the capital Tehran on Jan. 12, 2017.

Iraq announces Iran flights to resume: What to know

Iraqis protested the latest move aimed at pressuring Iran and an Iran-backed militia vowed a response if the flights do not come back.

Latest News

Analysis

Can Turkey’s Bashiqa withdrawal pave the way for deeper Iraq ties?

Turkish soldiers conduct military exercises near the Habur crossing gate between Turkey and Iraq on Sept. 27, 2017 in the Silopi district, southeast Turkey.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

Analysis

How militias in Anbar could complicate Iraq’s energy ambitions

Iraqi soldiers from the new 'desert battalion' special forces stand next to military vehicles as the take part in a graduation ceremony, after months of training by the French military, at the Ain al-Asad air base in Anbar west of Baghdad on February 29, 2024. (Photo by Ahmad AL-RUBAYE / AFP) (Photo by AHMAD AL-RUBAYE/AFP via Getty Images)

Shelly Kittleson

By Shelly Kittleson

In Baghdad, reporting on Iraqi politics

Explainer

Turkey agrees to hand over contentious Bashiqa base to Iraq

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi meets with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in New York City, Sept. 23, 2026.

Amberin Zaman

Chief Correspondent

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

Jared Szuba

Defense and Security Correspondent

In Washington, DC, reporting on defense, national security, military

Beatrice Farhat

Associate Editor (Lebanon)

In Beirut, reporting on regional news, culture, conflict

Suadad al-Salhy

In Baghdad, reporting on politics and security

Lyse Mauvais

In Amman, reporting on humanitarian crises

Winthrop Rodgers

In Sulaymaniyah, reporting on Kurdish issues

Women mourn by a grave during a mass funeral for Yazidi victims of the Islamic State (IS) group whose remains were found in a mass grave, in the northern Iraqi village of Kojo in Sinjar district, on Dec. 9, 2021.

Islamic State leader’s death brings little solace to Iraq's suffering Yazidis

Yazidis react to the death of Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi, who played a central role in orchestrating the slaughter and trafficking of the minority group.

Iraqi Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr speaks to the press after a meeting with parliament Speaker Salim al-Jabouri, alongside other Sunni parliament members, Najaf, Iraq, April 5, 2015.

Will Sadr lead Shiite political scene, exclude Iran's allies from Cabinet?

Iraq's Sadrist movement head Muqtada al-Sadr seeks to lead the Shiite political decision and establish himself as the sole representative of the Shiites in the next Cabinet.

President of Iraq Barham Salih on June 25, 2019, in London, England.

Battle opens for presidency in Iraq

As the Kurdistan Democratic Party nominates Hoshyar Zebari for the presidency, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan is looking to renew the mandate of President Barham Salih.

An Iraqi child walks past a poster of Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr in Sadr City in Baghdad on Oct. 17, 2021.

Sadr committed to forming Iraq's first majority government

The Coordination Framework, comprised of several Shiite parties is seeking a national unity coalition modeled on previous governments, while Sadr whose bloc won the majority of seats seeks majority government.

A photo taken on June 10, 2021, shows traffic at the entrance to Baghdad International Airport.

Baghdad airport hit with rockets, no one hurt

No group has claimed credit for the latest attack.

Female members of the Syrian Democratic Forces deploy outside Ghwayran prison in Syria's northeastern city of Hasakeh on January 26, 2022.

Syrian prison battle leaves hundreds dead and many IS free

A massive attack on detention facilities in northeastern Syria under US-backed, Kurdish-led forces has ended after almost a week of fighting, though the fate of some hostages remains unclear.

This picture taken on Sept. 26, 2021 shows an electoral campaign billboard ahead of Iraq's early legislative elections, depicting current parliament speaker Mohamed al-Halbousi, along the side of a road in the city of Ramadi, the capital of Iraq's central Anbar Governorate.

Iraqi parliament speaker’s home targeted amid power plays

At least three rockets landed near a residence of the Iraqi parliament speaker in his native Anbar region on Tuesday as political wrangling, disappearances and threats from Iran-linked militias continue.

Iraq Halbousi

Iraqi Federal Court rejects appeal to nullify selection of parliament speaker

The selection of parliament speaker has been upheld as the federal court rejected the request of the Coordination Framework to cancel the process.

A picture taken Oct. 26, 2021, shows the Darbandikhan Dam after the water level had fallen by 7.5 meters in one year, in northeastern Iraq.

Iran, Iraq exchange accusations over water flow

Iraq is planning to complain to the International Court of Justice about the drop in water flow from Iran.

Mourners carry the casket of one of eleven Iraqi soldiers, killed in an overnight attack by the Islamic State (IS) group against a base in eastern Iraq, through a street in the central holy shrine city of Najaf, on Jan. 21, 2022.

Islamic State escalates violence across Baghdad Belt

Terrorist attacks increase as Iraq continues government formation process.

Diyala funeral

Islamic State wipes out entire army outpost in Iraq’s Diyala

The latest major Islamic State attack in Iraq left 11 dead, including soldiers and their commanding officer, at an army outpost in a restive area northeast of Baghdad.

Members of the PKK are pictured during a peaceful protest against ongoing attacks against Yazidis in northern Iraq, on Aug. 16, 2014, in Hanover, Germany.

Iraqi army boots PKK-linked leader’s statue from Sinjar, arrests fighters

The Iraqi army has arrested several fighters from a PKK-linked Yazidi faction operating in Sinjar as part of an attempt to get them to abide by an accord signed in 2020 for greater stability and security.